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 Regional history comes alive at the Yakima Valley
Museum, located in Yakima’s beautiful Franklin Park. This 65,000 ft2 facility offers historical exhibits on the Yakima Valley—its natural history, American Indian culture, pioneer life, early city life, and the roots and development of the Valley’s fruit industry. The museum has a superb collection of horse-drawn vehicles, from stagecoach to hearse; a historical exhibit and reconstruction of the Washington D.C. office of former Yakima resident and environmentalist, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas; and a changing schedule of special exhibitions. The Sundquist Research Library, offering unique resources to the researcher as well as the curious visitor, is open Tuesday through Saturday, from noon to 5 P.M. The Museum Collections are always available for research
and study by appointment. Within the museum is the Children’s
Underground, a 2,500 ft2 interactive learning center offering museum-related
educational activities and programs for children ages 5 to 15; special
tours are available. The Museum Soda Fountain is a functioning replica of a late 1930s Art Deco soda fountain. Furnished
with salvaged and restored parts of authentic Yakima soda fountains, this
piece of history serves Green Rivers, Root Beer Floats, Malts, and assorted
"phosphates" and ice cream treats for visitors to the museum
and Franklin Park. The museum's Great Hall, a grand performance space
beneath a "Neon Garden,"
offers programs and concerts throughout the year; call the museum or visit
www.yakimavalleymuseum.org to check the schedule.
The museum also operates the nearby H.
M. Gilbert Homeplace (2109 W. Yakima Ave—3 blocks from the museum);
built in 1898, this late Victorian farmhouse is now filled with period
furnishings. Museum Collections The Yakima Valley Museum has an extensive collection of American Indian art, crafts, and artifacts, focusing especially on the tribes and bands of the nearby Yakama Nation Indian Reservation and neighboring cultures of the plateau region. Many rare examples of beadwork, basketry, woven bags, parfleches, costume, and other objects can be seen throughout the exhibitions, illustrating stories of history, home life, and subsistence technology. The museum houses one of the largest collections of wagons, carriages, and early motorized vehicles west of the Mississippi. These unique vehicles can be seen throughout the exhibitions, illustrating social and technological development of the region. The museum's collection of clothing and costume spans two centuries—a constantly growing selection of over 10,000 garments and clothing accessories provide an authentic record of work and leisure clothes, as well as high-style fashion, ethnic costume, and special event and ritual garments. A collection of orchard equipment and related agricultural objects traces the history of agriculture in the Valley, from the earliest irrigated gardens planted by the Yakama Indians to the modern tree fruit and produce industry that has made the Yakima Valley the "fruitbowl of the nation." Collections of historic tools, appliances, furniture, and household items document Yakima Valley's material culture from the mid-19th century to the present. The museum's collection of natural history specimens contains taxidermy mounts of regional wildlife, geology and botany specimens, and fossil evidence of past environments and animal life in the region. A growing collection of artwork by regional artists, past and present, offers a view of the Valley as seen through the eyes of the artist. The Yakima Valley Museum is also the repository for the personal belongings of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas—controversial statesman, prolific writer, environmentalist, and native of Yakima. Exhibitions The core museum exhibits tell stories of how humans have interacted with the natural environment of the Yakima Valley and made use of its varied resources, from the subsistence technologies of the earliest native cultures to the irrigation-driven agribusiness of today's Valley life. The home life and cultural practices of the diverse Valley population is described and illustrated in exhibits that share the experience of traditional and Reservation Era Yakama Indian life, the challenges of the earliest European-American settlers, and the many diverse waves of past and present pioneers that continue to immigrate to the Yakima Valley. Exhibits also show the many networks of trade, communication, and transportation that sustain the lives and businesses of the people of the Valley. At the center of these core exhibits is a celebration of what Yakima Is, containing the spectacular Neon Garden, a collection of neon advertising art from Yakima Valley's past. An authentic reconstruction of the Washington D.C. office of Yakima native Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas interprets the life, accomplishments, and enduring legacy of this prolific and controversial statesman, environmentalist, and writer. And throughout the exhibits, many more people and products that made Yakima famous are brought to life. All exhibits are filled with objects from the museum collections—the real stuff. Unlike many new museums and interpretive centers, the Yakima Valley Museum prides itself on object-based exhibits that contain the as many authentic objects as possible. The museum collections are the vocabulary with which we tell the stories of the Valley's past. In addition to the core museum exhibits, 5,000 square feet of gallery space is dedicated to changing exhibitions. Special touring exhibitions, as well as short-term exhibits supplementing the core exhibits, fill this adaptable gallery space. PLEASE NOTE that installation of the core exhibits began in summer of 2002 and will continue for several years. Until completion of these exhibits, museum visitors will witness the process of exhibit research and development first-hand. Kiosks throughout the core galleries describe future plans and invite visitors to share their opinions, suggestions, and even their own personal stories and objects to the interpretive process. The Children’s Underground is a 2,500 ft2 hands-on learning center filled with educational activities and programs for kids of all ages. Interactive displays, videos, computer programs, games, and play areas provide an opportunity to step into the exhibits and experience the natural and cultural history of the Yakima Valley ...and have a great time learning! The Special Exhibitions at the Yakima Valley Museum are ever changing, guaranteeing a new experience with each visit! The H. M. Gilbert Homeplace, a late Victorian farmhouse filled with period furnishings, is only three blocks from the Yakima Valley Museum. A tour of this 1898 home of the Gilbert family gives a taste of life on an early Yakima orchard. Museum Services The Museum Shop offers a unique selection of jewelry, toys, cards, and collectibles ...plus one of the best selections of books on local culture, history, and nature in Yakima. The Sundquist Research Library and Archives is the Yakima Valley’s storehouse of historical documents, photographs, rare books, and other records of the valley’s history ...open to the researcher as well as the curious visitor. The Yakima Valley Museum Banquet
& Conference Hall looks out on beautiful Franklin Park. Call for
information on renting this unique space for your next social or business
function.
The Yakima Valley Museum is a member of the Washington Museums Association (WMA). To see a directory of Washington Museums, click here. |
